Trends from the Commanders’ last NFC Championship Game bid

The Washington Commanders defeated the Detroit Lions 45-31 on Saturday to advance to the NFC Championship Game. They will play the winner of Sunday’s matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.

After ending the NFL’s third-longest playoff win drought last week, the Commanders have used that momentum to end another one. Washington is in the conference championship game for the first time since January 1992 when it advanced and eventually won Super Bowl XXVI.

Last season, the Commanders finished tied for the second-worst record in the NFL, earning them the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft, which they used to select rookie quarterback sensation Jayden Daniels.

They are now the fifth team since the 1970 merger to reach a conference championship after finishing the previous season with one of the two worst records in the league, per ESPN Research.

Here’s a look at what the world looked like the last time Washington played in a conference title game — Jan. 12, 1992.

Head coach starring in college

The Commanders’ rapid improvement coincides with the hiring of Dan Quinn as head coach last offseason. Quinn is old enough to remember Washington’s last run at the Super Bowl.

He was in his second year at Salisbury University in Maryland where he lettered in football and track and field. Though he was captain of the football team in 1992 and 1993, Quinn made his name in track and field. He held the school’s record for hammer throw (51.4 meters) for 20 years.

The school inducted him into its athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

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MJ topping the charts

The Billboard Hot 100 and Michael Jackson were extremely familiar with each other during the King of Pop’s reign. In January 1992, one of Jackson’s 13 Billboard No. 1 hit tracks firmly held its position at the top.

“Black or White” spent seven weeks at No. 1, one of which came during the Commanders’ quest for a Super Bowl appearance. The track featured on the charts for 20 weeks overall.

It earned a nomination for “Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male” at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton.

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Jordan in midst of 30-point streak

Michael Jordan reigned supreme in the NBA in the early 1990s. The day before the NFC Championship Game, the Chicago Bulls star dropped 30 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds in a win against the Miami Heat. It marked his seventh game with at least 30 points that month and third straight.

Jordan wound up scoring at least 30 points four more times in January, closing the month with a points per game average of 30 on the dot.

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‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ in Season 2

One of the best sitcoms of the decade, the “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” gained steam in early January 1992.

The second season included 24 episodes with the 15th occurring a day after Washington’s win to reach the Super Bowl. Nearly 20 million viewers tuned in weekly during Season 2.